Rotary internal combustion engine

ABSTRACT

A rotary energy converter or engine, for converting fuel combustion into rotary mechanical motion, has a casing providing three annular chambers in which three rotors are mounted for timed rotation. The central rotor has pistons extending axially from one face of a rotor disc, which rotate in the central chamber and which juxtapose at timed periods with abutments on the two noncentral rotors to form momentary function-chambers that permit concurrent phases of intake, compression, power and exhaust functions to occur. The sealing between adjacent function-chambers is accomplished without physical contact of moving parts and especially without the need for minute clearance tolerances and without the need for precision gearing. Recirculation of combusted gases and recirculation of portions of fresh air-exhaust mixtures diminish undesirable emission products. An internal cooling system dissipates heat while another internal venting system entraps leakage gases for further combustion. The form of the juxtaposed pistons and abutments are simplified due to the relative configuration of chambers, pistons and abutments being made to permit circular approximations instead of requiring the perfection of a complex curvature form. The basic reference for the various relative configurations is the minor radius of the central annular chamber which is made equal to the major radius of the noncentral annular chambers.

United States Patent Spinnett Feb.8,1972

[54] ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE [72] Inventor: Raymond G. Spinnett, 1961 A Mitchell,

Santa Ana, Calif. 92705 [22] Filed: Apr. 13, 1970 21] App1.No.: 27,539

Primary Examiner-Allan D. Hermann Assistant ExaminerAlan G. Goedde Attorney-Alfred W. Kozak [57] ABSTRACT A rotary energy converter or engine, for converting fuel combustion into rotary mechanical motion, has a casing providing three annular chambers in which three rotors are mounted for timed rotation. The central rotor has pistons extending axially from one face of a rotor disc, which rotate in the central chamber and which juxtapose at timed periods with abutments on the two noncentral rotors to form momentary functionchambers that permit concurrent phases of intake, compression, power and exhaust functions to occur. The sealing between adjacent function-chambers is accomplished without physical contact of moving parts and especially without the need for minute clearance tolerances and without the need for precision gearing. Recirculation of combusted gases and recirculation of portions of fresh air-exhaust mixtures diminish undesirable emission products. An internal cooling system dissipates heat while another internal venting system entraps leakage gases for further combustion. The form of the juxtaposed pistons and abutments are simplified due to the relative configuration of chambers, pistons and abutments being made to permit circular approximations instead of requiring the perfection of a complex curvature form.

The basic reference for the various relative configurations is the minor radius of the central annular chamber which is made equal to the major radius of the noncentral annular chambers.

17 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of rotary energy converters, in general, and to the rotating abutment type in particular. The prior art has suggested various types and configurations of rotating energy converters such as my US Pat. No. 3,463,128 for a rotary engine, and other forms of internal combustion engines, but it would appear that they all have in common serious difficulties to be overcome before performance could be considered efficient enough to compete with the conventional piston engine and the recent orbitaltype rotary engines such as the Wankel.

Orbital-type rotary engines, such as the mentioned Wankel, also have inherent difficulties so that considerable room for improvement is possible and in this field, the pure rotary rotating abutment engine may provide superior characteristics because of its inherent simplicity and balance along with other potential advantages.

One major problem with the Wankel and other orbital-rtary engines is their dependence for chamber sealing upon a single line of contact between the apex seal and the stator or casing. The sealing between different functional chambers by such means is quite poor at best because of the extremely short leakage path length which constitutes the line of separation between adjacent chambers. And ever present is the difficulty of maintaining the sealing line at high-internal combustion temperatures. Further, the seal wear is pronounced due to high-frictional velocities. In the Wankel-type engine, in addition to seal wear, there is the problem of seal lubrication at these high-frictional velocities, and the combustion characteristics are quite poor due to rapid expansion of the combustion chamber space and the poor charge-to-surface ratio.

Other types of rotary engines are found to encounter serious difficulties such as inertial loading problems and gear wear as well as seal wear and lubrication difficulties. The prior art in rotating abutment type engines has also required that sealing be achieved along a single line of contact between two rotating parts. Since one part must trace precisely over the face of another to maintain sealing contact, very precise gearing is required and backlash in the gearing must he kept very small which results in the need for the machining of precision gears and the difficulties of maintaining them under the varying temperature conditions encountered in internal combustion engines. Further, precision machine shapes are also required for the faces of the internal pistons and the recesses in abutments in order to maintain the close tolerances required for sealing which is generally found to be quite poor at best since the leakage path lengths are very short.

The object of the present invention is to provide efficient means for overcoming the difficulties mentioned above as well as providing other advantages in a simple trouble-free manner so that the basic rotary motion may be converted into a pump ing or compressing action for various gaseous media and such that the internal pressures and combustion may be converted into rotary mechanical motion output,

Thus, in the present invention, the needed sealing between different function-chambers, is provided by means of parallel, flat and relatively broad surfaces and concentric circular surfaces with ample clearance where one part moves near the face of another so that gear accuracy and backlash tolerances do not become critical as they do in the prior art. Thus the sealing is accomplished by relatively long, broad, flat and parallel surfaces or by relatively lengthy concentric circular surfaces running at close tolerances but not contiguous in order to assure good sealing by providing long leakage paths and without need for reliance upon precision gearing.

1n the present invention, the need for precise or noncircular shapes on the faces of the pistons and the cooperating recesses between abutments is eliminated because the cooperation between elements has been so arranged that a circular approximation of juxtaposed curves is adequate.

The present rotary energy converter provides for continuous combustion which improves the combustion in unscavenged combustion spaces, and reduces the unburned component of the exhaust discharge. Further, the wearing of sealing surfaces is eliminated since sealing surfaces are noncontiguous, and the need for lubrication of the sealing surfaces is also eliminated since the sealing is achieved without frictional contact between rotating parts and between moving parts and the casing.

Direct air cooling is provided for the moving rotors as well as the stator.

Gases which may leak past any of the sealing surfaces are prevented from entering the lubrication system of the bearings and the gear case and also from escaping out into the atmosphere by a simple system of venting into annular grooves located around the periphery of each rotating disc and upon one face of each disc. These grooves are connected in each disc by a series of radial tunnels in the discs to provide a centrifugal pumping action forcing the leakage products through channels in the casing and then ultimately back to an intake port where they are drawn into the engine with incoming charge.

Thus a highly efficient rotary energy converter composed of basically three moving parts, and which pennits simple economical provision for sealing between various functional chambers, for cooling all moving parts, for elimination of sealing, wearing, and lubrication problems, and which does not require precision gearing, will now be described.

DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a side or elevation view of the rotary energy converter.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of FIG. I along the line 22.

FIG. 3 shows an exploded or perspective view of the various components of the energy conversion system and their inter relationship.

FIG. 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D show in schematic form the dynamic features involved in four aspects of the rotary conversion cycle.

FIG. 5A and 5B show schematic drawings illustrating certain critical features of the rotary converter.

DESCRIPTION As will be seen in the exploded-view drawing of FIG. 3, the outer form of the energy converter is made of a main casing 20 having external cooling areas 21, a gear casing 22, and a front plate 23.

The main casing 20 is provided with cylindrical recesses 52 and 36 which are truncated in part by a central recess 19.

Within recess 52 is a cylindrical extension 52a which provides an annular chamber 76 into which abutments 40a, 40b, 400 of an exhaust]valving rotor 40 are fitted. The annular chamber 76 may also be designated as the auxiliary exhaust valving rotor chamber.

Likewise within recess 36, there exists a cylindrical extension 36a to provide an annular chamber 75 into which abutments 24a, b, c of a compression valving rotor 24 may be fitted. The annular chamber 75 may also be designated as the auxiliary compression valving rotor chamber.

The central recess 19 is constructed to accept a central or main rotor I and a cylindrical extension 22a to form a central annular chamber 38 (which is best seen in FlG. 2). The main rotor 1 is constructed with three abutments extending axially from the plane of the disc 3. These extending abutments act as pistons and will be designated as such to distinguish from the ab'utments of the peripheral auxiliary rotors. This central annular chamber 38 provides a space in which pistons 20, 2b, and 2c of main rotor 1 can rotate and execute phases of a combustion cycle to be later described.

As between the main annular chamber 38 (FIG. 2) and the auxiliary chamber 76, there exists a common chamber area designated 62. Similarly between chamber 38 and auxiliary chamber 75, there is a common chamber area 61.

The central recess 19 also provides for seating a rear main bearing 5 and the cooperating main rotor shaft 12, as seen in FIG. 1.

The gearcasing 22 (FIG. 3) provides a circular opening 15b for supporting the rear oil seal 6 and also circular opening 49a for supporting the exhaust rotor rear bearing 49. Likewise a similar opening 36a is provided on the right side of gear casing 22 for a compression rotor rear bearing 33 for support of the compression rotor shaft 28. The exhaust rotor rear bearing 49 supports exhaust rotor shaft 47.

Contiguous and in axial alignment to the circular openings 49a and 36a are the exhaust rotor oil seal 48 and the compression rotor oil seal 32.

The front plate 23 has circular openings 51a, 15:, and 35a, for supporting the exhaust rotor shaft front bearing 51, the main rotor shaft front bearing 4, and its front oil seal 7, and the compression rotor shaft front bearing 35 Extending through the circular opening 150 of the front plate 23 is the power output end 12a of the main rotor shaft 12.

Operating within gear case 22 and fixably positioned to main rotor shaft 12, is a main timing gear 8 which works in contiguous cooperation with exhaust timing gear 50 and compression timing gear 34.

The main rotor 1 is composed of a main rotor disc 3, a centrifugal blower 17 having fins 18, a central aperture 150 for the main shaft 12, three pistons 2a, 2b, and 2c; an inner venting groove 11 having ports 11a, and an outer peripheral venting groove 9 having ports 10. Between the inner venting ports 11a and the outer venting ports 10, communicating tunnels 13 are drilled for fluid passage,

The compression abutment rotor 24 is composed of a central disc area 24d having extension abutments designated 24a, 24b, 24c; an inner venting groove 29 having ports 30; and an outer peripheral venting groove 26 having ports 27. The inner ports 30 are connected to the outer ports 27 by an inner radial tunnel 31 which can permit fluid passage between the ports; a series of air passage apertures 25 for passage of air therethrough;

Similarly the exhaust abutment rotor 40 is composed of a central disc portion 4011 from which extends three abutments 40a, 40b, 40c; and aperture 47a for the exhaust rotor shaft 47; an outer peripheral groove 42 having ports 43 and an inner venting groove 44 having ports 45. Ports 43 and 45 are connected by a radial internal-tunnel 46 for passage of fluid; and air passage apertures 41 which provide for air circulation through the exhaust abutment rotor.

Now referring to FIG. 1 it will be seen that the outer form of the rotary energy converter is encompassed by main casing 20, gear casing 22 and front plate 23. Main rotor 1 is rigidly attached to the main rotor shaft 12. The exhaust rotor 40 is rigidly attached to exhaust rotor shaft 47 and compression rotor 24 is rigidly attached to compression rotor shaft 28. A cooling air inlet port 17a permits cooling air to flow over and through centrifugal blower fins 18 and exit through an outlet channel l17b. Another cooling air inlet passage is provided at 540 to conduct cooling air through the exhaust abutment rotor 40 via the air passage apertures 41 and exiting at channel 54b. Likewise a cooling air inlet channel 39a is provided to conduct air through the compression abutment rotor 24 via air apertures 25 and outletting through exit passage 39b. A transfer chamber 64, which may also be used additionally as a combustion chamber, is provided in an area contiguous to the common chamber 61 (FIG. 2) located between chamber 38 (FIG. 2) and the compression rotor abutment chamber 75. The transfer chamber 64 (FIG, 1) is provided with a threaded port 65 into which may be placed an ignitor 66 through the ignitor recess area 67, as seen in FIG. 1.

As can further be seen from FIG. 1, external venting groove 43 and internal venting groove 42 of the exhaust abutment rotor connects through radial tunnel 46 to port 45 of the inner venting groove 44, such that the inner tunnel 46 can convey fluid to casing channel 141: and through the main rotor radial tunnel 13 to exit port and thence to channel 100 where leakage gases may then be returned within the engine for subsequent combustion.

Still referring to FIG. 1, it can be seen that likewise the compression abutment rotor 24, with its outer and inner venting grooves 26 and 29, and by means of channel 31 may pass fluid gas through casing channel 14b up to the main rotor inner venting groove 11 where further removal is permitted by interior tunnel 13 and exit port 10.

Again referring to FIG. 1 it will be seen that cooling is provided around the shaft 12 by means of a space 16e around the shaft 12. An air intake channel 16a provides for incoming air into the shaft space 16e which makes connection with a main rotor interior channel which proceeds to an exit port 16d where the cooling air will be drawn out through the exit channel 17b.

In FIG. 1 it will be seen that the main rotor shaft 12 is supported by a rear bearing 5 and a front bearing 4; the exhaust abutment rotor 40 is supported by exhaust rotor shaft 47 which is held by rear bearing 49 and front bearing 51; the compression abutment rotor 24 is attached to compression rotor shaft 28 which is supported by rear bearing 33 and front bearing 35.

As previously mentioned, the exhaust abutment rotor 40 has an oil seal 48; the main rotor shaft 12 has oil seals 6 and 7, and the compression abutment rotor shaft 28 has an oil seal 32.

Referring to the drawing of FIG. 2 which is viewed from the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, it will be seen that the main casing 20 is provided with a fuel intake port 60 which leads to the annular piston chamber 380 of the main rotor. One edge of the interior of the inlet port 60 is designated as 60a while the other side is designated 60b. The annular chamber 38 of the main rotor permits the rotary motion of pistons 2a, 2b, and 2c through the chamber opening. Likewise the exhaust rotor abutments 40a, 40b, 40c have an annular chamber 76 through which they move while rotating as do the compression abutments 24a, 24b, 24c of the compression rotor which has an annular chamber 75 through which they may pass while rotating.

As further seen in FIG. 2, and with particular reference to piston 20, each piston of the main rotor has a leading edge 2L, a trailing edge 21, a head area 2h and a skirt area 2s. The leading and trailing edges of the pistons may also be referred to as the faces of the pistons.

By means of timing gear 8 (FIG. 1) of the main rotor shaft working in cooperation with exhaust rotor gear 50 and compression rotor gear 34, the pistons 2a, 2b, and 2c of the main rotor are caused to work in interleaving succession and in time cooperation with the exhaust rotor abutments 40a, 40b, 40c, and further in interleaving cooperation with the compression rotor abutments 24a, 24b, 240. An understanding of the cooperative involvement and method of operation will be described hereinafter under the paragraphs devoted to operation of the mechanism. Burned fluids from the combustion cycle in chamber 38 are vented through an exhaust port 72.

As heretofor mentioned in the discussion in regard to FIG. 3 regarding a common chamber area 62 between the main rotor piston chamber and the exhaust abutment chamber 76 in addition to the common chamber area 61 as between the main rotor piston chamber 38 and the compression abutment chamber 75, it will be seen from FIG. 2 that the common chamber area 62 at the moment illustrated is occupied by the exhaust abutment 40b and that the common chamber area 61 is occupied by the main piston 2b.

Within the casing 20 and adjacent to the cooling fins 21, (FIG. 3) there will be seen a main continuous combustion chamber 68 (FIG. 2) having a threaded port 70 into which is inserted a combustion chamber ignitor 69 which is fitted through the recess area 71.

Referring to FIG. 2, the annular chamber 38 for the pistons of the main rotor is defined by an outer and inner circle. The radius of the inner circle is the distance from the center of the main rotor shaft 12 to the edge of piston skirt 2s. The radius of the outer circle is from the main shaft center to just beyond the piston head 2h.

The annular chambers 76 and 75 for the exhaust abutments 40a, 40b, 40c, and for the compression abutments 24a, 24b, 24c are likewise defined by radii of circles having a length from their respective shaft centers to the inner and outer edges of the respective abutments.

The critical relationship factors involving the chamber sizes, the form of the pistons and abutments will be later described in detail.

As seen in FIG. 2, (and FIG. 1) the central core extension 22a is part of the gear case 22 and extends into the central recess 19 to form one side'of the annular chamber38.

OPERATION The operating cycle of the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter. and will be referred to as the Spinnett cycle to distinguish it from operating cycles of the prior art such as the Brayton cycle, the .Iowell cycle, Otto cycle, and others which have different mechanisms and operate on different principles.

The Spinnett Cycle is a pulsating yet substantially continuous combustion action which can be described as a series of discrete combustion-expansion phases in which the stationary combustion chamber 68 is not scavenged but maintains a relatively continuous combustion condition, and the combustionexpansion phase of one piston with function chamber 38:: takes place simultaneously with the intake-compression phase of another piston at the same time that an exhaust phase function is taking place in another area of the chamber 38.

The following description will be made with reference to actions depicted in FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D, which are schematic, not actual, for purposes of explanation and illustration.

The beginning of the Spinnett cycle will be seen in FIG. 4A at the reference point S where an air-fuel mixture has entered intake port 60 into the compression section 38c an annular piston chamber 38, and the piston 2a has its trailing edge 2at passing beyond the first edge 60a of the intake port 60 permitting fresh charge of an ajr-fuel mixture to also enter the vacant portion of the annular piston chamber just behind it.

The compression phase of piston 2a now begins as the leading edge of piston 2a designated as 2aL reaches the second or far edge 60b of the intake port 60 thus trapping and sealing in the charge taken in behind the prior passing piston 2b. Concurrently from FIG. 4A, it will be seen that the compression abutment 24c has sealed off the opposite end of chamber 380, the compression abutment 240 being referenced with the point S. Thus with the compression abutment moving counterclockwise and the piston 2a moving clockwise, the compression phase takes place until finally the trailing edge of compression abutment 24c reaches the position referenced as T in FIG. 4B.

At this point a unique feature of the Spinnett cycle mechanism operates so that a mass of previously burned charge which had been trapped between compression abutments 24c and 24b is made to combine with the fresh charge from channel 380 in a turbulent mixing action while adding its stored heat to the fresh charge thus enhancing fuel vaporization and increasing the compression pressure.

As the piston rotor and compression rotor rotation continue, as seen in FIG. 4C, the combined fresh charge and recycled charge are compressed into the common channel 61 with some of the charge being forced under the piston skirt 2s and the rest into the transfer chamber 64. At this moment the piston 2a will occupy the dead center position shown in FIG. 4A by the piston 2b. This is the moment when the charge is at maximum compression and is mostly confined in the transfer chamber 64 and under the piston skirt 2s.

It will be noticed (FIG. 40) that when the piston reached the dead center position (exemplified by the location of piston 2b in FIG. 4A) that the leading and trailing edges of piston 21: are juxtaposed by the trailing edge of abutment 24c and the leading edge of abutment 24b; and that the leakage path between upper chamber 380 and lower chamber 38a is momentarily diminished to its shortest length.

However this situation of diminished leakage path occurs for only a brief instant due to the speed of the rotation of the abutments. Referring to FIG. 4A at this instant of dead center, the compression abutment 24a is leaving the common chamber 61 while compression abutment 24c is entering the common chamber 61 so that the leakage of charge between chambers 38c and 38e is negligible.

Referring to FIG. 4D and the piston 2a having passed the dead center," then sealing of function-chamber 38c from function-chamber 382 by the piston 2a and compression abutment 24b is restored. The compressed charge behind piston 2a and in the transfer chamber 64 begins to expand and the trailing edge of piston 2a now becomes exposed to the combusting charge from combustion chamber 68.

When the moving piston 2a is exposed to the combustion chamber 68 as in FIG. 4D, the combustion chamber pressure (chamber 68) is at its lowest ebb because the prior passing piston 2b has just reached the end of its combustion-expansion phase. The fresh charge becomes ignited as it combines with the burning residue of chamber 68. Then combustion chamber pressures rapidly rise in the combustion chamber 68 i as the fresh charge is fully ignited. Piston 2a is pushed into its expansion phase through expansion chamber 38a. Thus piston 2a is powered with thrust until it reaches the position shown by piston 2b of FIG. 4D, where the expansion chamber starts to be opened to the exhaust port 72.

With further cooperating rotation of the compression abutment rotor 24, the compression abutment 24b then seals off the transfer chamber 64 as seen at reference mark T of FIG. 48.

Referring to FIG. 2 and also to FIG. 4B, it will be seen that each compression abutment has a cutout 24i on the inside corner of the leading edge for the purpose of delaying the closing of the transfer chamber 64.

To start the engine cycle, an igniter 69, such as a spark plug, is fired in one side of combustion chamber 68 to start the chain reaction of one combustion cycle igniting the next. An alternate igniter 66 in the transfer chamber 64 may also be used at high speed to ignite the charge earlier.

As a piston, such as 2b of FIG. 4C, reaches the middle of the expansion stroke, some of the hot charge trapped between two adjacent abutments such as 240 and 24a will be carried around and recycled in compression abutment chamber and eventually be combined in the common chamber of 61 with fresh charge of a later compression cycle.

As will be seen in FIG. 40, the piston 2b reaches the end of its expansion or power stroke while at the same time the entrance to the expansion chamber 38a is closed off by the leading edge of the next piston 2a.

The exhaust phase now begins as seen in FIG. 4D as piston 2b admits burnt gases into exhaust port 72, and continues to where the piston 2b occupies the common chamber area 62 and is enveloped by the two adjacent exhaust abutments, 40a and 40c.

A secondary air intake port 74 (of FIG. 4A) permits fresh air into the exhaust abutment annular chamber 76 keeping a supply of fresh air in the spaces between the exhaust abutments. The fresh air between the exhaust abutments provides a supply of fresh air to the exhaust port 72 to cool the exhaust gases, and to also help oxidize any unburned fuel present in the exhaust discharge.

The combination of burned gases and air between the exhaust abutments creates an outgoing venting pressure at port 72 while at the same time new fresh air is being drawn in between the exhaust abutments through port 74.

Then in FIG. 43, it is seen that, the combination of .piston 20, and abutments 40a and 40b seals off the exhaust phase action from the intake action occuring through intake port 60 into the portion of chamber 38 designated as 38c.

Thus, the Spinnett cycle, as described, will be seen to con sist of one full revolution of a piston such as, for example, piston 2a, during which cycle, there are concurrent phases of intake, compression, expansion-power, and exhaust functions with each of the three pistons occupying positions of rotation that are 120 apart.

CRITICAL OPERATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS With reference to FIG. 2, it will be seen that a rotating piston such as 2c has a leading edge 2L and a trailing edge 2!. The piston also has a head portion 2h and a skirt portion 2:.

Further with regard to FIG. 2, it will be seen how the piston, such as 2b, cooperates with the abutments 24c and 24a. The piston 21) and the abutment 24c seals off the upper portion 380 of the chamber 38 while the abutment 24a together with piston 2b seals off the lower portion 38e of chamber 38.

It should be emphasized that the sealing between any two function-chambers is accomplished by the combination of a moving part and a stationary part, and there is no requirement for sealing as between two moving parts. For example, the function chamber 380 of FIG. 2 on the compression function is sealed at one end by piston 2a juxtaposed against casing 20, and sealed at the other end by the compression rotor abutment 24c situated in the common chamber area 61 at that time.

Likewise the lower function-chamber 38a in its expansion function is sealed at one end by piston (in juxtaposition with casing 20 along the head area 2h and with casing 20 along the skirt area 2:), and at the other end by compression rotor abutment 24a which closes off the common chamber area 61. Similarly, the cooperation of the pistons and the exhaust abutment rotors operate on the other side of the casing in the common annular chamber area 62. v

The shape of the leading edge 2L and the trailing edge 2t of the pistons and the corresponding shape of the leading and trailing edges of the compression and exhaust abutments can be derived through mathematical equations and computer calculations. However, my experiments with these configurations have shown that it is sufficient if circular approximations are made, since the circular approximations are so close to the computer derived curves.

Thus the inner curvature of the piston skirt 23 is a semicircular arc concentric with the main rotor shaft, and is made to juxtapose to the inner wall of the central chamber 38 with a 0.004-inch clearance. The chord which subtends the inner arc of the piston skirt is determined by the amount of overlap between three circles of equal radii; namely the circle described by the inner radius of the piston skirt, and the circle described by the outer radius of the compression rotor abutment (and likewise, the outer radius of the exhaust rotor abutment).

The linear width of the chord of the piston skirt 2s, as later described, is equal to two times the sine of an angle whose cosine is equal to one-half the distance between the centers of the two overlapping circles (circle of the inner radius of the piston skirt, and circle of the outer radius of the compression or exhaust rotor abutment).

The curvature of the leading and trailing faces of each piston are mirror images of each other and their shape is determined by the curve traced by the motion of the outer comer of the abutment, such as 24c, over the face of the piston beginning at the dead center position as illustrated by the location of piston 2b between abutments 24a and 24c in FIG. 2.

It should be pointed out that only a certain configuration of piston forms and abutment shapes in combination with a relatively critical arrangement of sizes and shapes of main and auxiliary chambers will permit a practically operative energy converter of this type to be feasible. To this end, I have determined which dimensional arrangements are critical and which other factors are not critical but which may be optimized for the most efficient configuration of my converter.

Referring to FIGS. 5A and 53, I have thereon indicated certain dimensional relationships which are required and which are of a critical relationship to other dimensional factors.

Referring to FIG. 5B, the radius from the center of the main rotor shaft to the skirt of the piston (minor radius) is designated as R,. Further, the radius from the center of the compression rotor to the outside of the compression rotor abutment is designated as R, and is not critical but has an C,,. These constitute the basic reference dimensions and are the starting point for the configuration of all other parts. Thus:

R, =C =basic reference dimension 1,000 =R,

The outside radius of the piston (major radius) is designated as R and is not critical but has an optimum value of 1.3000 times R The inside or minor radius of the auxiliary rotor abutment is designated C, and is not critical but has an optimum value of 0.7000 times R,. The distance between the center of the main rotor shaft and the center of the compression rotor is designated D and has a critical value of 1.8750 times R, in the preferred embodiment. This value also constitutes the pitch diameter of the timing gears.

The ideal length of the chord of the arc of the piston skirt is of critical value and constitutes 2 times the sine of an angle whose cosine is one-half the distance between centers of the central rotor and a valving rotor. This chord length is designated as P Referring to FIG. 5A, the distance from the center of the main rotor along a central radial line outward from the rotor shaft to the center of the area under the piston is marked as L, and has a critical value of 0.887 times R,. The line marked L which extends at right angles from L, has a critical value of 0.2824 times R The combination of L, and L serve to locate a point O which defines the center of an arc defining the shape of the leading edge of the piston. The are radius marked P,- is of critical value and is 0.6376 times R, in the preferred embodiment.

Similarly, the center point for the trailing edge of the piston is equally determined except that the length L is measured off to the right side of L rather than to the left side.

Again referring to FIG. 5A, it will be seen that a line C, and C are used to locate point T which will be the center for drawing an arc to define the shape of the trailing edge of the compression rotor abutment face. C, is critical and is equal to 0.8929 times R; while C is also critical and is 0.1 106 times R;. The arc radius C; has a value of 0.4682 times R, and, of course, is also a critical value with reference to the other values given for the preferred embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5A it will be seen that points V and W locate the intersection of the circle of the minor radius of the central annular chamber with the circle of the major radius of the auxiliary rotor chamber.

With M marked as the center point of the main rotor axis and C as the Center point of the auxiliary rotor axis there is an angle defined from points C to M to V which angle has a cosine equal to half the distance between centers M and C. The sine of this angle defines a distance which is one-half the chord of the are for the optimum piston skirt. Thus the total chord of the arc is equal to two times the mentioned half chord distance.

The dimensional relationships described hereinabove are ideal values without consideration of the necessary running clearances required in the practical engine embodiment since such considerations are a matter of design rather than of invention. Also it should be clearly understood that other sets of critical and optimum relationships are possible which differ somewhat from the foregoing, but that any sizeably different relationships will cause deficient or inoperable conditions.

Iclaim:

l. A rotary energy converter comprising:

a casing defining a central annular chamber and a plurality of annular peripheral chambers having chamber portions in common with said central chamber,

a central rotor including a rotor disc mounted for rotation in said central annular chamber and having a plurality of axial extending abutments from one face thereof forming pistons for rotary movement in said central chamber;

a first valving rotor including a rotor disc mounted for rotation in a first one of said peripheral chambers and having a plurality of axial extending abutments from one face thereof to form first valving rotor abutments operating in cooperative interleaving noncontiguous relationship with said pistons of said central rotor;

a second valving rotor including a rotor disc mounted for rotation in a second one of said peripheral chambers and having a plurality of axial extending abutments from one face thereof to form second valving rotor abutments operating in cooperative interleaving noncontiguous relationship with said pistons of said central rotor;

said abutments of said first valving rotor and said second valving rotor cooperating in rotary motion with said pistons to form sealed function-chambers which move within the said central annular chamber during rotary phases of the central rotor cycle;

intake means for admission of charge in the form of fuel and air into said central annular chamber;

exhaust means connecting with said central annular chamber for disposal of combusted fluids;

a stationary combustion chamber formed of a spacial extension of said first peripheral chamber communicating with said central annular chamber and having ignition means therein;

a transfer chamber within said first peripheral chamber and adjacent the common space area between said central annular chamber and said first peripheral chamber for temporary storage of compressed charge during passage of a piston through said common space area;

interconnecting means for regulating the motion of said central, first, and second rotors in timed relationship.

2. A rotary energy converter as in claim 1 wherein said central rotor pistons have faces of convex shape which intercooperate with concave shape faces of the first and second peripheral rotor abutments, said pistons and abutments having faces shaped n the arc of a circle.

3. A converter as in claim ll wherein said plurality of pistons extending from said central rotor disc constitute three in number, and

said plurality of axial extending abutments from the first valving rotor disc constitute three in number, and

said plurality of axial extending abutments from the second valving rotor disc constitute three in number, and

said sealed function-chambers within the central annular chamber perform the complete cycle of intake, compression, combustion, expansion and exhaust three times during a single rotation of the central rotor.

4. A converter as in claim 1 wherein said central rotor disc pistons extend in an axial direction which is opposite to the extending axial direction of said peripheral rotor disc abutments.

5. A converter as in claim 1 wherein said first valving rotor and its annular chamber operate to recirculate combusting gases from said stationary combustion chamber for reentry into the central annular chamber for mixture with fresh charge of the compression phase of said central rotor, and wherein said second valving rotor and its annular chamber in cooperation with an air intake port within said second annular chamber serve to mix fresh air with exhaust gases.

6. The converter as in claim 1 wherein there is provided a first sealing means formed of the casing walls of the central annular chamber, the cooperating abutments of said first and second rotors, and said pistons; and

a second sealing means formed of the casing walls of said first and second peripheral annular chambers respectively, and said first and second rotor abutments; and

said first and second sealing means being free of any frictional contact as between moving elements and stationary elements of the converter.

7. A rotary energy converter as in claim 1 wherein said central rotor and said first and second valving rotors are each provided with a peripheral outer groove and an annular inner groove juxtaposed to corresponding annular grooves in the casing, said outer and inner grooves having spaced ports connected by radial tunnels within the rotors, said grooves communicating with passages in said casing for the venting of leakage gases from the central and auxiliary chambers.

8. A rotary energy converter as in claim 1 wherein auxiliary cooling means is provided by said central rotor which is formed with cooling fins integral with said rotor disc and extending into the ambient atmosphere such that said fins rotate causing centrifugal pumping action on ambient atmosphere to drive cooling air around said casing and into and out of inlet and outlet ports connected to internal channels communicating with internal portions of the casing and internal portions of the rotors.

9. The converter as in claim 1 wherein the said central and valving rotors provide radial internal tunnels for connecting the peripheral area of the rotors to venting means.

10. The converter as in claim 9 wherein said central and said first and second valving rotors are provided with means for conduction of cooling air therethrough, said means for conduction being comprised of an ingress port communicating with a plurality of egress ports through inner connecting passages, and said ports communicating with cooperating passages in said casing.

1 l. A rotary energy converter comprising:

a casing forming and supporting a central annular chamber and first and second annular auxiliary peripheral chambers;

a central rotor including a rotor disc with axial extending abutments projecting from one face thereof to form pistons equally spaced from one another on said face, and first and second valving rotors each of which rotors include a rotor disc having axial abutments extending from one face thereof in the opposite direction to the axial extending direction of said pistons on said central rotor disc;

said central rotor comprised of three pistons having convexly arcuate faces operating in cooperative relationship with three abutments having concavely arcuate faces on each of said first and second valving rotors to form sealed function-chambers during phases of the rotary cycle;

a central rotor shaft operating in timed relationship with first and second rotor shafts connected to said first and second valving rotors;

means for intake of a charge of fuel and air;

means for exhaust of combusted gases;

a stationary combustion chamber formed from a part of said first annular chamber and including ignition means for ignition of fuel and for combustion;

a transfer chamber within said first peripheral chamber and adjacent the common space area between said central annular chamber and said first peripheral chamber for temporary storage of compressed charge during passage of a piston through said common space area;

cooling means for dissipating accumulated heat in the converter;

venting means for entrapping internal leakage gases and conducting them via internal channels for reentry into said means for intake;

first recirculation means including said first peripheral rotor and said first annular peripheral chamber for mixing portions of combusted gases with fresh charge in the compression phase;

second recirculation means including said second peripheral rotor and said second peripheral chamber for mixing fresh air with exhaust gases.

12. A converter as in claim 11 wherein the minor radius of the central annular chamber is equal to the major radius of the first and second auxiliary chambers, the distance from the center point of the central chamber to each center point of said first and second auxiliary chambers is substantially equal to 1.875 times the said minor radius of the central chamber, each piston in said central chamber having a skirt formed in an arc whose chord length is equal to two times the sine of an angle whose cosine is equal to one-half the distance between centers of said central chamber and an auxiliary chamber.

13. A converter as in claim 12 wherein the leading and trailing faces of each of said pistons are formed of arcs defined from a arc-center point which is located by a line L1 from the center of said central chamber to the center point of a piston, and line L2 extending at right angles from the end of line Ll such as to define a point as the arc-center for one face of said piston, the radius of said are being 0.6376 times the minor radius of said central chamber, the distance L1 being 0.8887 times said minor radius and the distance L2 being 0.2824 times said minor radius.

14. A converter as in claim 13 wherein the leading and trailing faces of each of said abutments are formed of arcs defined from an arc center point which is located by drawing a radial line Cl from the center point of said first auxiliary chamber to a point in space midway between two abutments in said first auxiliary chamber, said line Cl being 0.8929 times the minor radius of said central chamber, and at said point midway between said two abutments, drawing a line C2 at right angles to Cl, said line C2 being 0.1106 times said minor radius of said central chamber, and using the terminal point of line C2 as a center for drawing an arc of radius equal to 0.4682 times the minor radius of central chamber.

15. A converter as in claim 11 wherein sealing of said functionchambers during phases of the rotary cycle is accomplished by sections of the moving rotors in cooperation with stationary faces of said casing, said sections and faces being in noncontacting proximity.

16. In a rotary engine which includes a casing having parallel bores forming a central annular chamber and first and second peripheral annular chambers wherein portions of the peripheral chambers intersect the central chamber, a central rotor and first and second peripheral rotors mounted for rota tion in said respective chambers, a stationary combustion chamber adjacent the central annular chamber within the engine casing with ignition means, intake and exhaust means, and cooling means, the combination, comprising:

a central annular chamber and first and second peripheral annular chambers so related that the minor radius of the central annular chamber is substantially equal to the major radius of the first and second peripheral annular chambers;

a central rotor disc integral with said central rotor, said disc having axial extending abutments forming pistons equally spaced around one face of said disc;

first and second peripheral rotor discs integral with said first and second peripheral rotors and having axial extending abutments equally spaced around one face of each of said discs;

said pistons interacting with said first and second peripheral rotor abutments in a successive interleaving relationship;

each of said pistons and abutments having arcuate faces, and head and skirt lengths greater than the radial width of said central annular chamber and serving to seal off individual function-chambers within the annular chambers;

a transfer chamber located adjacent the intersection of said first annular chamber and said central annular chamber for storage of charge during passage of a piston past said intersection.

17. The rotary engine of claim 16 wherein the leading faces of said abutments of said first peripheral rotor are provided with a recess adjacent the minor radius of the first peripheral chamber to delay the sealing-off of said transfer chamber during the rotary cycle. 

1. A rotary energy converter comprising: a casing defining a central annular chamber and a plurality of annular peripheral chambers having chamber portions in common with said central chamber; a central rotor including a rotor disc mounted for rotation in said central annular chamber and having a plurality of axial extending abutments from one face thereof forming pistons for rotary movement in said Central chamber; a first valving rotor including a rotor disc mounted for rotation in a first one of said peripheral chambers and having a plurality of axial extending abutments from one face thereof to form first valving rotor abutments operating in cooperative interleaving noncontiguous relationship with said pistons of said central rotor; a second valving rotor including a rotor disc mounted for rotation in a second one of said peripheral chambers and having a plurality of axial extending abutments from one face thereof to form second valving rotor abutments operating in cooperative interleaving noncontiguous relationship with said pistons of said central rotor; said abutments of said first valving rotor and said second valving rotor cooperating in rotary motion with said pistons to form sealed function-chambers which move within the said central annular chamber during rotary phases of the central rotor cycle; intake means for admission of charge in the form of fuel and air into said central annular chamber; exhaust means connecting with said central annular chamber for disposal of combusted fluids; a stationary combustion chamber formed of a spacial extension of said first peripheral chamber communicating with said central annular chamber and having ignition means therein; a transfer chamber within said first peripheral chamber and adjacent the common space area between said central annular chamber and said first peripheral chamber for temporary storage of compressed charge during passage of a piston through said common space area; interconnecting means for regulating the motion of said central, first, and second rotors in timed relationship.
 2. A rotary energy converter as in claim 1 wherein said central rotor pistons have faces of convex shape which intercooperate with concave shape faces of the first and second peripheral rotor abutments, said pistons and abutments having faces shaped on the arc of a circle.
 3. A converter as in claim 1 wherein said plurality of pistons extending from said central rotor disc constitute three in number, and said plurality of axial extending abutments from the first valving rotor disc constitute three in number, and said plurality of axial extending abutments from the second valving rotor disc constitute three in number, and said sealed function-chambers within the central annular chamber perform the complete cycle of intake, compression, combustion, expansion and exhaust three times during a single rotation of the central rotor.
 4. A converter as in claim 1 wherein said central rotor disc pistons extend in an axial direction which is opposite to the extending axial direction of said peripheral rotor disc abutments.
 5. A converter as in claim 1 wherein said first valving rotor and its annular chamber operate to recirculate combusting gases from said stationary combustion chamber for reentry into the central annular chamber for mixture with fresh charge of the compression phase of said central rotor, and wherein said second valving rotor and its annular chamber in cooperation with an air intake port within said second annular chamber serve to mix fresh air with exhaust gases.
 6. The converter as in claim 1 wherein there is provided a first sealing means formed of the casing walls of the central annular chamber, the cooperating abutments of said first and second rotors, and said pistons; and a second sealing means formed of the casing walls of said first and second peripheral annular chambers respectively, and said first and second rotor abutments; and said first and second sealing means being free of any frictional contact as between moving elements and stationary elements of the converter.
 7. A rotary energy converter as in claim 1 wherein said central rotor and said first and second valving rotors are each provided with a peripheral outer groove and an annular inner groove juxtaposed to corresponding annular grooves in the caSing, said outer and inner grooves having spaced ports connected by radial tunnels within the rotors, said grooves communicating with passages in said casing for the venting of leakage gases from the central and auxiliary chambers.
 8. A rotary energy converter as in claim 1 wherein auxiliary cooling means is provided by said central rotor which is formed with cooling fins integral with said rotor disc and extending into the ambient atmosphere such that said fins rotate causing centrifugal pumping action on ambient atmosphere to drive cooling air around said casing and into and out of inlet and outlet ports connected to internal channels communicating with internal portions of the casing and internal portions of the rotors.
 9. The converter as in claim 1 wherein the said central and valving rotors provide radial internal tunnels for connecting the peripheral area of the rotors to venting means.
 10. The converter as in claim 9 wherein said central and said first and second valving rotors are provided with means for conduction of cooling air therethrough, said means for conduction being comprised of an ingress port communicating with a plurality of egress ports through inner connecting passages, and said ports communicating with cooperating passages in said casing.
 11. A rotary energy converter comprising: a casing forming and supporting a central annular chamber and first and second annular auxiliary peripheral chambers; a central rotor including a rotor disc with axial extending abutments projecting from one face thereof to form pistons equally spaced from one another on said face, and first and second valving rotors each of which rotors include a rotor disc having axial abutments extending from one face thereof in the opposite direction to the axial extending direction of said pistons on said central rotor disc; said central rotor comprised of three pistons having convexly arcuate faces operating in cooperative relationship with three abutments having concavely arcuate faces on each of said first and second valving rotors to form sealed function-chambers during phases of the rotary cycle; a central rotor shaft operating in timed relationship with first and second rotor shafts connected to said first and second valving rotors; means for intake of a charge of fuel and air; means for exhaust of combusted gases; a stationary combustion chamber formed from a part of said first annular chamber and including ignition means for ignition of fuel and for combustion; a transfer chamber within said first peripheral chamber and adjacent the common space area between said central annular chamber and said first peripheral chamber for temporary storage of compressed charge during passage of a piston through said common space area; cooling means for dissipating accumulated heat in the converter; venting means for entrapping internal leakage gases and conducting them via internal channels for reentry into said means for intake; first recirculation means including said first peripheral rotor and said first annular peripheral chamber for mixing portions of combusted gases with fresh charge in the compression phase; second recirculation means including said second peripheral rotor and said second peripheral chamber for mixing fresh air with exhaust gases.
 12. A converter as in claim 11 wherein the minor radius of the central annular chamber is equal to the major radius of the first and second auxiliary chambers, the distance from the center point of the central chamber to each center point of said first and second auxiliary chambers is substantially equal to 1.875 times the said minor radius of the central chamber, each piston in said central chamber having a skirt formed in an arc whose chord length is equal to two times the sine of an angle whose cosine is equal to one-half the distance between centers of said central chamber and an auxiliary chamber.
 13. A converter as in claim 12 wherein the leading and trailIng faces of each of said pistons are formed of arcs defined from a arc-center point which is located by a line L1 from the center of said central chamber to the center point of a piston, and line L2 extending at right angles from the end of line L1 such as to define a point as the arc-center for one face of said piston, the radius of said arc being 0.6376 times the minor radius of said central chamber, the distance L1 being 0.8887 times said minor radius and the distance L2 being 0.2824 times said minor radius.
 14. A converter as in claim 13 wherein the leading and trailing faces of each of said abutments are formed of arcs defined from an arc center point which is located by drawing a radial line C1 from the center point of said first auxiliary chamber to a point in space midway between two abutments in said first auxiliary chamber, said line C1 being 0.8929 times the minor radius of said central chamber, and at said point midway between said two abutments, drawing a line C2 at right angles to C1, said line C2 being 0.1106 times said minor radius of said central chamber, and using the terminal point of line C2 as a center for drawing an arc of radius equal to 0.4682 times the minor radius of central chamber.
 15. A converter as in claim 11 wherein sealing of said function-chambers during phases of the rotary cycle is accomplished by sections of the moving rotors in cooperation with stationary faces of said casing, said sections and faces being in noncontacting proximity.
 16. In a rotary engine which includes a casing having parallel bores forming a central annular chamber and first and second peripheral annular chambers wherein portions of the peripheral chambers intersect the central chamber, a central rotor and first and second peripheral rotors mounted for rotation in said respective chambers, a stationary combustion chamber adjacent the central annular chamber within the engine casing with ignition means, intake and exhaust means, and cooling means, the combination, comprising: a central annular chamber and first and second peripheral annular chambers so related that the minor radius of the central annular chamber is substantially equal to the major radius of the first and second peripheral annular chambers; a central rotor disc integral with said central rotor, said disc having axial extending abutments forming pistons equally spaced around one face of said disc; first and second peripheral rotor discs integral with said first and second peripheral rotors and having axial extending abutments equally spaced around one face of each of said discs; said pistons interacting with said first and second peripheral rotor abutments in a successive interleaving relationship; each of said pistons and abutments having arcuate faces, and head and skirt lengths greater than the radial width of said central annular chamber and serving to seal off individual function-chambers within the annular chambers; a transfer chamber located adjacent the intersection of said first annular chamber and said central annular chamber for storage of charge during passage of a piston past said intersection.
 17. The rotary engine of claim 16 wherein the leading faces of said abutments of said first peripheral rotor are provided with a recess adjacent the minor radius of the first peripheral chamber to delay the sealing-off of said transfer chamber during the rotary cycle. 